Method of and means for ascertaining the integrity of two line conductors



June 28, 1932. G. w. BAUGHMAN 1,864,789

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR ASCERTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF TWO-LINE CONDUCTORS Filed July 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet ,1

INVENTOR 1Z6 h Tfla g/mmn' BY H1 ATTORNEY June 28, 1932. G. w. BAUGHMAN 1,364,739

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR ASCERTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF TWO-LINE CONDUCTORS Filed July 17, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY HIS ATTORNEY Patented June 28, 1932 warren s re-res Parent v orrica GEORGE W. BAUGI-IMAN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR'TO THE UNION SWITCH 65 SIGNAL CGMEANY, F SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR ASCERTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF TWO LINE CONDUCTOBS Application filed. July 17,

The present invention relates to. a method of and means for ascertaining the integrity of two line conductors,'such as the running rails of a track section, and has for its main object and feature the detection of a break in one of the running rails of a track section whereby such condition adversely affects traffic-controlling means, such as a signal or brake valve, on the train.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention is shown in. a concrete and preferred form in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of so much of a track and trainequipment, em-

bodying the invention, as is necessary to understand the invention; and

Figs. 2 to 6 inclusive are diagrams or curves to show the steps of the process of the invention.

The line conductors are here represented by the running rails 1 and 2 of a track section. In accordance with well-known practice a current is impressed upon these rails, with the rails in series. The current here used may be an interrupted alternating current by means of which impulses are transmitted to the train to thereby control one or more signals, a brake valve or both. It will be understood that, at any given instant, the current in one of the rails is 180 out of phase with respect to the current in the other rail, and a receiver or coil, 3, 4, respectively, is arranged adjacent each. rail to pick up the current from the running rails. As here shown,

353 coils 3 and 4 are wound on a common core 5.

They are, however, not additive intheir effect, andthe currents induced in said'coils are segregated as will be seen. On the train 7 is an iron core transformer 6, the secondary of which controls a relay 7, which is here termed a master relay. The impedance of the primary of transformer 6 is such that a rectified half-wave current will not effectively energize relay 7; only, a full-wave current supplied to primary of transformer 1931. Serial No. 551,391.

6 will do so. It will now be understood that, if current received from one rail is rectified into half-wave impulses, and current received from the other rail is rectified into complementary half-wave impulses, andthe two sets of half-wave impulses are combined into full-wave impulses, transformer 6 will be so energized as to effectively control relay 7. Furthermore, if one setof half-wave impulses is absent, said transformer will not be properly energized and relay 7 will not be energized. The same thing would, of course, occur if the two sets of half-wave impulses were notout of phase. The action will be readily understood from Figs. 2 to 6 inclusive. In Fig. 2 the voltage induced in re- .ceiver 3 is indicated, the current being an interrupted alternating current. In Fig. 3 is shown the voltage induced in receiver 4, and it will be seen that the voltage induced, at the same instant, in receivers 3 and 4 are out of phase with respect to each other. If now voltage is induced in receiver 3, but not in 4, the effect on transformer 6 will be that indicated in Fig. 4, where 8 indicates the voltage across transformer 6 and dotted line 9 indicates the current value. Likewise, if voltage is induced in receiver 4, but not in 3, the effect on transformer 6 will be that indicated in Fig. 5, where 10 indicates the voltage across transformer 6 and dotted line 11 indicates the current value. In neither of, these cases therefore 1s transformer 6 energized properly, because the current dies out between the impulses. Turning now to Fig. 6, the effect of the energization of both 3 and 4 will be seen. Here 8 indicates the voltage from receiver 3, and 10 the voltage from receiver 4. These impulses are so close together,

that the current, indicated by dotted line 12, builds up rapidly and thus energizes relay 7 Any suitable rectifying means may be emferred form of construction is as follows: receiver 3 is in series with the primary of a transformer 13, and receiver 1 is in series with the primary of a transformer 14:. The secondary of transformer 13 is connected to the grid-filament circuit of amplifier A, and the secondary of transformer 14: is connected to the grid-filament circuit of amplifier A the result being that voltage induced in receivers 3 and l controls the grid potentials of A and A respectively. The output or plate-filament circuit of A is from C terminal of battery 15, to filament 16, plate 17, conductor 18, having primary of transformer 19, conductors 20 and 21 back to B terminal of battery 15. Similarly, the output or plate filament circuit of A is from C terminal of battery 15, to filament 22, plate 23, conductor 24, having primary of transformer 25, conductors 26 and 21 back to B terminal of battery 15. The output circuits of A and A control the potentials of the grids of two half-Wave rectifiers R and R the secondaries of transformers 19 and 25 being connected to the grid-filament circuits of rectifiers R and R respectively. The output or plate-filament circuit of rectifier R is from C terminal of battery 15, to filament 27 of R, plate 28, conductor 29, containing primary of trans former 6, and conductor 21 back to B ter minal of battery 15. So likewise, the output or plate-filament circuit of rectifier R isfrom C terminal, to filament 30, plate 31, conductor 32, conductor 29, containing primary of transformer 6, conductor 21 and back to B terminal of battery 15.

It Will therefore be understood that when receivers 3 and 4e are both energized, the two half-wave rectifiers will properly energize primary of transformer 6 to energize relay 7, but that when only one of said receivers is energized, relay 7 will not be energized. Also, that if the voltage induced in receivers 3 and 4 should be in phase, as might occur in case of shock excitation, said relay 7 would likewise not be energized.

The master relay 7 may be employed to control any suitable train governing apparatus, such for example as the apparatus shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,745,629 granted to L. L. Lockrow, on February 4, 1930.

I claim:

1. The method of ascertaining the integrity of two charged line conductors which consists in rectifying the current received from one conductor into half-wave impulses, rectifying the current received from the other conductor into complementary halfwave impulses, and controlling an indicating device by full-wave impulses composed of the two complementary half-wave impulses.

2. The method of ascertaining the integrity of the charged running rails of a track section which consists in rectifying the current received on the train from one rail into halfwave lmpulses, rectifylng the current received on the train from the other rail into complementary half-wave impulses, and con- 

